2020 Montrachet Grand Cru

Eric Germain greeted me at Girardin’s impressive new winery facility outside of Meursault, where neighbors include Henri Boillot, Bitouzet-Prieur and the Damy Tonnellerie, which affords the team much more space as well as hygiene. Germain told me: “We started picking on August 18, similar to 2003, though 2020 is totally different from 2003. We picked around 13.2° for Village Cru and 13.5° for Premier Cru with pH between 3.15 and 3.25. For the reds, the alcohol is quite similar, with pH 3.4-3.5 after malolactic. The whites are still in barrel. We are starting to bottle the reds earlier than in past – by the end of February – but for the whites we need the time to age, so we bottle in March or April. I am surprised by the freshness of the wine given that we picked in August. I think the results of biodynamics really helped by giving more energy in the wine. The yields were very low, between 25 and 35hl/ha. The wines have more density and body nowadays.” All the wines in this report are bottled under natural cork (only the entry-level regional wines are under Screwcap). Girardin is often misconceived as a négoce operation, when in reality, they own over 30 hectares of vines, accumulated in recent years and farmed biodynamically. I was impressed by the quality of both the whites and reds here. Check out Girardin’s excellent Clos de Vougeot, Puligny Champs Gain or Chassagne La Romanée.